Seriously, Dude, I'm Gay

Genre

reality television, LGBT-related television series

Country

United States

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

Two straight men compete to see who can best pretend to be gay, moving in with gay roommates and going to nightclubs. The winner gets a cash prize.

lightheartedcomediccompetitiveplayfulsatiricalgimmickybreezycampy

What happens

Seriously, Dude, I'm Gay is an unaired American reality television special planned for broadcast by the Fox Broadcasting Company (Fox). The two-hour special was set to premiere on June 7, 2004, although it was abruptly removed from the Fox schedule only eleven days before its planned broadcast. Filmed in West Hollywood, California, the special depicted two straight men in competition for a $50,000 reward over who could pass themselves off as a more convincing gay man. The contestants were required to move into separate lofts with gay roommates, come out to their best friends, and socialize at gay nightclubs, in addition to competing in a variety of daily challenges. The special was hosted by Irish television presenter Amanda Byram. Seriously, Dude, I'm Gay was a part of Fox's intent to capitalize on a rising interest in LGBT-themed reality television shows. However, the special was met with fierce criticism from advocacy groups, such as the media monitoring organization GLAAD, who claimed it promoted a negative portrayal of gay men. The special's press release also received backlash, particularly a line that described the special's premise as "a heterosexual male's worst nightmare: turning gay overnight". On May 27, 2004, Fox shelved the special, citing creative reasons. The special's cancellation influenced other television networks to reach out to GLAAD for review of their own LGBT-themed television shows. In 2005, Seriously, Dude, I'm Gay was one of several television programs cited in a class-action lawsuit filed by the Writers Guild of America concerning labor law violations. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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